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Employer drug testing has become an important safety issue in the workplace not only for
employees, but for human resources and safety professionals as well. It is estimated that over
98% of all the Fortune 500 companies conduct drug testing. The purpose of employer drug testing
is to lessen the impact from drug abuse in the workplace. This includes tardiness, absenteeism,
turnover, attitude problems, theft, deceased productivity, crime and violence. The US Department
of Labor has estimated that drug use in the workplace costs employers anywhere from $75 to
$100 billion dollars annually in lost time, accidents, health care and workers compensation costs.
Sixty-five percent of all accidents on the job are related to drug or alcohol abuse, and substance
abusers utilize sixteen times as many health care benefits and are six times more likely to file
workers compensation claims then non-drug abusers.
Drug experts are debating on whether drug abuse has fallen, or drug abusers simply avoid
employers that test and instead apply at companies that do not test. Either way, most human
resource and safety professionals have found drug testing to be a valuable and cost-effective risk
management tool.
When implementing a drug-testing program, policies and procedures should be established. Pre-
employment drug testing is the most common type of testing program. Courts have consistently
upheld the legality of requiring a pre-employment drug testing as a condition of employment.
However, if a firm plans to conduct post-hiring drug testing for current employees, then the
employer should include training and education for supervisors and employees, as well as
guidelines for discipline in the event of a positive test.
Post-employment drug testing includes random testing for safety sensitive positions, individualized
suspicion testing, post accident testing, and testing that is legally required in certain industries,
such as Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements concerning truck drivers. Each of these
types of testing is legally sensitive, and an employer should have a program in place before
starting.
Most drug testing is done by sending an applicant to a collection site, where a urine sample is
obtained and sent to a certified laboratory for analysis. Negative results are normally available
within 24 hours. There are also instant drug testing and alcohol testing kits on the market that are
available for employers to use. These are similar to home pregnancy tests and require the
employer to collect a urine sample. These drug tests and alcohol tests are considered accurate for
immediate screening at the convenience of the employer.
Most employers utilize a standard five-panel test of "street drugs," consisting of marijuana (THC),
cocaine, PCP, opiates (such as codeine and morphine) and amphetamines (including
methamphetamine). Some employers use a ten-panel test, which includes prescription drugs that
are legal to possess and use. Employers can also test for blood alcohol levels through alcohol
testing kits.
Although each drug and person is different, most drugs will stay in the system for 2-4 days. For
chronic users of certain drugs, such a marijuana or PCP, results can be detected for up to 14
days, and sometimes much longer. Sedatives, such as Valium, may stay in the system for up to 30
days. When the more expensive hair testing method is used, drugs can be detected for a 90-day
period. To avoid the complications from "second hand" marijuana smoke, most labs will set a
higher threshold before reporting THC in the system.
Testing labs have extensive procedures to re-confirm a positive test before reporting it. Most drug
testing programs also utilize the services of an independent physician called a Medical Review
Officer (MRO) to review all test results. In the case of a positive result, the MRO will normally
contact the subject to determine if there is a medical explanation for the positive results. For
example, eating poppy seeds before a test can result in a false positive for opiates. However, an
MRO also knows that poppy seeds cannot cause certain levels of opiates, and certain additional
testing can eliminate that.
There can also be tests that are "negative' but show an abnormal result, such as a "low creatine
level," which can indicate an applicant attempted to dilute the sample by the excessive drinking of
water or some other form of alteration. That is also a result that a MRO would examine.
Employers who conduct employer drug testing will find that a drug testing program will eliminate
people with a drug abuse problem. Drug tests generally cost in the $50-$70.00 range, including
collection of the sample, laboratory analysis, services of a Medial Review Officer, and
communications of the results in the manner most convenient to the employer. Compared to the
cost of even one employee with a substance abuse problem, most firms find eliminating the
problem in the first place is well worth the time and money involved in an employer drug testing
program.
This article written by Christy Berger & Nepi Ilgaz and the longer version can be found at Employer
Drug Testing Some information about this article is taken from these resources Employer Drug
Testing and Workplace Drug Test Kits Drug Testing in the Workplace
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christy_Berger
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